RECUPERATING
The end of the DCPS two week winter break is near. While I have done some work over the vacation to catch up on paperwork, for most of the break I have been recuperating. I haven’t been sick or had surgery, I am recuperating from the all of the pressure, anxiety, and absurdities related to working for DCPS so I can return on Monday able to effectively teach (and survive until spring vacation). That last week before the break left me feeling bipolar. Part of me was excited for my well-deserved winter break and happy to see the enthusiasm on my students’ faces as they participated in assemblies and other activities celebrating the holidays. The other part of me was down in the dumps and feeling defeated. As I spoke to other teachers in my building and colleagues in other schools, I realized that we all shared similar sentiments.
It is almost indescribable how demoralizing it is to work for DCPS. The new DCPS mandates, reform fads and constant pressure to meet AYP and increase student attendance suck most of the joy out of teaching. To make matters worse, these new policies and procedures most often wreak havoc for the students and do little to nothing to improve student performance. Those of us in the trenches